India not happy with Avengers

[samurainoir]

Here is an example of a Canadian film that is deeply critical of India's social structure, and also features the real life mother of a friend of mine. She is a westerner who has done some incredible things to try and address injustices around the way Hindu widows are treated within India. Well worth a movie of her own, and this movie might have done even better at the box office if she had been the central character. But it wouldn't have been the same movie if it wasn't seen through the eyes of a young girl trapped within that station and situation. The fact that the film maker, Deepa Mahta, is a female ex-pat of India, is very significant as well. Her films tend to anger the people of India, so much so that she is no longer allowed to film there.

As a Canadian taxpayer, I happily foot the bill so that stuff like this exists. Unfortunately, the block booking of our theatrical distribution system by Hollywood product now ensures that even the homegrown films produced by our top talent here can only get on 23 first run screens nationally (in english language canada) in the best case scenario (unless they get the Oscar nod after the fact, or it's a film about teenage female werewolves).

Water - Deepa Mehta Film - Bollywood Movie Bluray, Subt | eBay
Indian Hindi DVD " Water " Lisa Ray John Abraham Deepa Mehta | eBay

[Hector]

I can kinda see where the Indians are coming from.

I sometimes feel the same way when Mexico is depicted in many Hollywood flicks.

The vast majority of the time...Mexico is some dusty pueblo town full of adobe houses...and burros as the main means of transportation...lol.

But in reality...Mexico does have a solid infrastructure with plenty of modern cities, highways, bridges, etc...many seen my pictures of Mexico City...some of you admitted that you were surprised...the same goes to other Mexican cities such as Guadalajara, Monterrey, etc...believe it or not...there's a substantial middle class south of the border.

Do I get annoyed? Nah, not really...more like amused...lol.

The point is that yes...places like India and Mexico do indeed have slums...but usually the bad gets more attention in the movies than the good.

Having said that...both India and Mexico should shut up until India gets rid of its antiquated caste system...and Mexico of its drug cartel violence.

I have spoken!

[Wee67]

I understand the sensitivty, but its really hard to get all the diversity that exists in a 3-minute scene. The storytelling here is not about India. A more diverse showing would have completely destroyed the storyline.

Much more importantly, I would ask how it is in a nation that has seen HUGE amounts of money coing into from foreign investment that only a few seem to benefit. When I was in the nation's capitol, I was stunned to find out that many of the homes there only get water a few hours each week. Admittedly, I have generally been to big cities and tourist destinations, but I have been in many impoverished areas around the world. I have never seen poverty like there is in India. I actually thought the "slum" in the movie was far nicer than some of what I saw in India.

[Hector]

but I have been in many impoverished areas around the world. I have never seen poverty like there is in India. I actually thought the "slum" in the movie was far nicer than some of what I saw in India.

I'd rather live in India than in these places...

World's Poorest Countries Infoplease.com

[Operation:Mego]

Having said that...both India and Mexico should shut up until India gets rid of its antiquated caste system...and Mexico of its drug cartel violence.

I have spoken!

[Gorn Captain]

Having said that...India should shut up until India gets rid of its antiquated caste system.

I have spoken!

Excellent point. Maybe if India would stop treating a huge segment of its population as dirt, they'd get some more global respect as well. Respect is a two way street.

[samurainoir]

Excellent point. Maybe if India would stop treating a huge segment of its population as dirt, they'd get some more global respect as well. Respect is a two way street.

Well stated.

If it were only that easy to erase such deeply ingrained societal programming within any given country. You have to remember that even in the United States, they were still battling the socio-economic legacy of slavery and segregation with the Civil Rights movement a century after the Civil War granted freedom to the slaves.

For me, being the son of immigrants, and having so many friends, family and peers in a similar situation, it makes Canada seem like heaven on earth. The idea of living in the most multicultural place on the planet, where the ideal is for people bring the best parts of their cultures (food, dance, music, art, celebration), leaving the rest of it behind for better lives. For the most part it works rather peaceably, and I find it quite astonishing the people I meet from around the world who come to study this model of our society.

However, I'm under no illusions that my country was not built on a legacy of cultural imperialism, and there are still huge societal issues around the large segregated native population that struggles to find it's place Within this multicultural mosaic. Something that is not easily solved no matter how many government programs and funding we seem to throw at it. It seems most countries still struggles with these kind of socio-economic "castes" to a certain degree.